New Britain Gives Schools Chief An Extra Year On Contract

NEW BRITAIN — With test scores rising and last year's budget deficit resolved, the school board voted 8-1 Monday to give Kelt Cooper an additional year on his contact as superintendent.

Most board members praised the accomplishments in Cooper's first year as head of the district. They acknowledged that some of his "back to basics" strategies are controversial, but said the overall results so far are good.

Their decision extends his contract from June 30, 2015 to June 30, 2016.

New Britain recruited Cooper recruited from Texas in mid-2012 to turn around the badly troubled district, and has pushed through several major changes in how the schools operate. Most recently he directed a crackdown on in-school misbehavior by students, assuring teachers that he's ordered principals to issue punishment.

"Things are going in an upward direction," board member Paul Carver said.

"Mr. Cooper took on a tough issue with closing the smaller learning academies, and he took on a political hot potato in advocating for additional funds for textbooks," board President Sharon Beloin-Saavedra said.

Board member Aram Ayalon, who has been lukewarm about Cooper since the board hired him, cast the only "no" vote. He conceded that Cooper "has done some good things," but disagreed that city schools are in on a better course now.

"I think we're on the wrong path," Ayalon said.

"There are some very good teachers we lost because they felt they weren't being treated well in this district," Ayalon said, referring to a small wave of teachers who quit this summer. "We've seen some good administrators leave the district."

Beloin-Saavedra said many of the teachers who left were lured by higher pay and smaller class sizes at Capitol Region Education Council magnet schools. Also, Cooper's insistence on higher standards may have driven away some employees, she said.

"Some people, no matter what you do, aren't going to be happy," board member Carlos Pina added.

Cooper was hired at $200,000 a year.

At the vote Monday night, Beloin-Saavedra said Cooper is getting 2.5 percent pay raises in 2013-14 and 2014-15, and will get a 2 percent raise for the final year. She said that would bring his salary to slightly more than $186,000 when the contract extension ends.

On Tuesday, school board leaders explained that his total compensation was $200,000 for the first year, and is gradually rising to slightly more than $206,000 when the extension ends. But he is taking $20,000 a year as an annuity instead of straight pay; so in 2015-16, he'll get about $206,000 directly, and another $20,000 toward his annuity. The board publicly made no mention of that annuity when voting on his salary Monday night.